After a drone collides with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter just last month, we’re already hearing about another incident involving a helicopter and a drone. This time, though, the helicopter was forced to make a crash landing. The incident is currently being investigated and if proven to be true would mark the first drone-related crash of an aircraft in the USA.

According to Bloomberg, during a flight last week involving a student pilot and instructor, a drone was spotted in front of their Robinson R22 helicopter during a flight. This forced the instructor to take over and take corrective action to avoid the collision, hitting the tail of the helicopter into a tree and causing a crash landing.

This is a pretty cool development from LibRaw (the company behind FastRawViewer) which lets you squeeze an extra stop of dynamic range out of your Canon 5D Mark IV raw files. Essentially, it exploits a quirk of dual pixel raw files. As they explain, a dual pixel raw file is essentially two exposures in one, a stop apart. Their new app, DPRSplit uses these two exposures to form a new DNG raw file containing the dynamic range of both exposures.

If not, this is a specialty filter designed to balance the lighting conditions between foreground and background at sunrise or sunset – when the sun (and therefore brightest part of the image) is at the horizon.

You’re not going to use this filter on a regular basis – but when you do need one, you’re going to be very happy that you packed it!

I really don’t know what to make of this one. It’s either a stroke of genius or absolutely ludicrous. I’m talking about Lenscapt, which is a new type of lenscap for DSLRs, mirrorless and other cameras. It’s being funded through Kickstarter and at first, I thought it seemed pretty daft. The Lenscapt precludes the use of lens hoods and some filter systems, but then I got thinking a little more about who could get some use out of it.

A few days ago, Getty and Google announced the upcoming changes as a result of a licensing deal. The announced changes have arrived, and now you can’t see the “View Image” button on Google any longer. Instead, if you want to see the photo, you’ll have to go directly to the website where it’s hosted.

Washi Film V is probably the most special film announced in 2017 and I’ve had the privilege to be present when Lomig, the founder of Washi Film, introduced it at the Salon de la Photo in Paris last year. Since then I have always wanted to try it and see what it’s like to shoot with this very special film so that’s what we will be doing today.

In a break from the past, World Press Photo (WPP) released the short list of finalists in advance of naming the winners to their annual contest – arguably the most prestigious in all of photojournalism.1 The photos are remarkable for their composition, exposure and intimacy. But judging by the subject matter one might surmise that we’re living in a hellish dystopia, or that the jury believes pain and suffering is the most valid form of photojournalism.

For its 2018 Swimsuit Issue, Sports Illustrated is taking a very different route than before. For the project titled “In Her Words,” the magazine didn’t pose models in swimsuits this time. Instead, they’ve launched fully nude, unedited, black and white images of models, with messages to society written on their bodies. The project features women of all shapes and sizes, and it has caused a lot of reactions, both positive and negative.

Every day I see people posting in Facebook groups asking about softboxes and whether or not they should buy one with a grid. Personally, I always advise going for one that comes with a grid. Even if you don’t know why you might need it yet, if you get one without and then find out that you need one, it can often be impossible to source just the right size and shape.

But what exactly do grids do? And do you really need one? That’s what photographer David Bergman looks at in this two-minute video. He goes over what grids are for and when you might choose to use one. I have grids for all of my softboxes and octaboxes. I don’t always use them, but when I do need them, they’re absolutely invaluable.

Not long ago, photographer Adam Grumbo received a Facebook message from a “hot American girl.” It turned out to be a scammer from Nigeria, who wasn’t very good at pretending to be someone else. Instead of reporting or blocking him, Adam tried something unexpected. He hired the scammer to document the life in his village and share photos and videos with Adam. Although unusual and risky, it turned out to be a great decision.

Clinton Lofthouse is a Photographer, Retoucher and Digital Artist based in the United Kingdom, who specialises in creative retouching and composites. Proud 80's baby, reader of graphic novels and movie geek!
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page